Мысли танцора

Dance sport compared to other dance styles

The educational system of dance sport differs from other dance styles. If one wants to become a ballet dancer or modern dancer one goes to the academy of the given dance style and gets a 3–4 years dance education which is relatively cheap and attains a degree as a professional dancer. Dance sport on the other hand is based solely on private lessons and training camps with the dancer working his way to the top with results of the competitions. At least in Europe to pay for a good dance academy is not big money because many are financed by the government. Usually, the dancer with the most chances to make it to the top starts dancing at the age 8 to 12. Gets his lessons paid by the parents until he’s 18, and then comes the difference. The parents pay for the further career or one earns the money for dance himself which is quite difficult (dance sport), attends the academy by either taking the student loan in North America or going for the government budget in Europe (ballet, modern, musicals).

Dance sport is probably not such a developed institution as ballet since the system is not sufficient to my view. How is it possible to take regular lessons that are minimum 60€ per hour, travel to other countries for competitions and have constantly new costumes that are thousands of € worth when one is 18 years old? A part time minimum wage job will surely not do if there are no sponsors and parents with money. The no so many who are in such circumstances where they can earn money with teaching are very lucky. If the country does not allow amateur teaching, it is completely illogical from my point of view and a dead end for the dancer because in Europe it is difficult to find teaching possibilities even if it is allowed because of the high-level competition and pro-am being not yet developed.

There is also a percentage of dancers who are studying somewhere for a completely different profession from dancing and dancing from their parents’ money to be able in the future to earn enough to do what they love. Isn’t that a shame? Wouldn’t it be better if they could go into some dance sport academy where they would take some student loan and learn all that is necessary for the dance sport profession until the level of being able to earn the money on their own afterwards? Because such an institution is absent many have to do things that are not contributing to their main goal and the whole system of dance sport is not benefiting because there is not a possibility for everyone to commit completely to what they are doing. This is why I think that the other dance styles have a better developed system.

Vadim Garbuzov, 24 April 2006